The name "HipChat" actually harks back to a previous service that we (the founders) were involved in called "HipCal" which started as a college project and is what brought us to Silicon Valley after college. The "Hip" in HipCal could mean "cool" but also became part of the mascot/logo (a cute little hippo).
As anyone who's tried to find a domain name knows, it's a painstaking process of searching for something pronounceable, easy-to-remember, appropriate, and available (or affordable), among other criteria. While we were trying to come up with names, Pete (one of the founders) stumbled upon hipchat.com and we managed to buy it for some not-completely-unreasonable amount. We felt it filled all the other criteria for a good domain name and so it stuck!
You must be a registered user to add a comment. If you've already registered, sign in. Otherwise, register and sign in.